Regulator assemblies are used for controlling the movement of a pane or panel, for example, window panes mounted for vertical movement to open and close the window opening in a motor vehicle door. Various different types of regulator assemblies are known, including arm and sector regulator assemblies wherein one or more regulator arms translates rotary force from a hand crank, electric motor, etc., into vertical window movement. Frequently a sliding member interconnects the regulator arm and the window or a window carrying member. Regulator assemblies may also employ driven cables for transmitting vertical or horizontal movement to the window pane.
One or more sliding members may be used in a regulator assembly, mounted for travel in a guide channel. Sliding members for window regulator assemblies are shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,829,630, 4,882,805, 4,935,986, and 5,036,621, and in the various prior patents discussed or mentioned therein. As noted in some of those prior patents, it has been a continuing problem, particularly for regulator assemblies intended for use in motor vehicle applications, to prevent sliding members from raffling in their guide channels. The sliding members must slide with relative ease within the guide channels, and yet must maintain a tight sliding fit within the channel, preferably an interference or compression fit, even after prolonged usage. Prior efforts to prevent raffle of the sliding members have included biasing them in one or more lateral directions within their guide channel. In some cases this has involved using sliding members of complicated mechanical design with several cooperating pieces and spring elements. Such multi-component designs typically have unacceptably high manufacture and assembly costs and/or have proven unreliable over long-term usage. Alternative approaches have employed sliding members comprising essentially a molded plastic unit of complex design. Complex plastic moldings for sliding members, such as those shown in above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,829,630, have undesirably high production costs. In addition, the sliding members of that patent, due to their rectangular shape, can rotate slightly within their guide channel causing binding. Furthermore, an attachment stud is required in that design to be rotatably or pivotably received in a ball socket formed in the sliding member. Such complexity adds to the cost and long-term performance concerns.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a sliding member for a regulator assembly which provides good long-term performance characteristics, even for motor vehicle window applications, and which are relatively simple in design and manufacture. Additional objectives will become apparent from the following disclosure.